Our middle school program helps students prepare for high school and life beyond.

Our live and self-paced classes are highly engaging. Our mentors are caring and inspiring. Our curriculum brings out the genius in our students.

As you know, students go through rapid changes during the middle school years. Most 6th graders start off wanting mom and dad’s help and frequently ask for it. They laugh at goofy jokes and find humor in everyday situations.

By the 8th grade, self-awareness has set in. Students no longer want as much help from mom or dad (or from anyone for that matter). They often want to go it alone, even if it means trying and failing, again and again. Eighth graders want deeper discussions and to develop more public skills like speaking, presenting, and debating. They also want to expand and deepen their social connections. Williamsburg’s curriculum is designed to match the unique needs of 6th, 7th and 8th graders.

OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

6th/7th Grade

In grades 6-7, we offer a blended, project-based curriculum designed to meet the unique needs of students. We integrate and combine subjects into our main courses: Leadership, STEM, Math, and Humanities. We encourage students to develop essential writing skills by enrolling in Writing 6/7. Elective options include Typing, Middle School Photography, and Intro to Theater.

Each course is built around one or more projects, simulations, and/or field trips, and includes classical and engaging readings and class discussions.

8th Grade

The 8th-grade curriculum is designed specifically to help students successfully transition from middle school to high school.

Students in this age group need increased academic rigor with room for adjustment as they become accustomed to increased workloads. They need increased responsibility, with room to try and fail. They need to review and solidify concepts covered in grades six and seven before moving on, and they need to be introduced to common high-school level concepts and skills.

We help families successfully launch into high-school-level work.

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

Step into a Williamsburg Academy Middle School class and you’ll see a group of excited, engaged students. Today’s youth hear over and over in media messages that they are irresponsible, irreverent, immature and ill-suited to impact the world. Through hands-on, meaningful projects that meet real needs, students discover that they are not only important but also influential and that their choices matter. This knowledge goes a long way towards pushing a student away from a mindless app or video game and toward a meaningful book or project.

Projects are an important part of classes and students’ study time. In every program we use the following six methods of learning:

A group of our 2015 Humanities students learned that women and children in a Bolivian village had to spend hours every day fetching clean water. This prevented the children from attending school. Our students determined to raise money to help build a clean-water pipeline in the village. They were surprised with the end results!

Check out the video below to see how this project taught the students about innovation, compassion, and hard work:

PODS, COURSES, AND EXPEDITIONS

The Williamsburg Academy Middle School Program has three main elements: leadership pods, integrated courses, and expeditions.

Leadership Pods

Leadership pods are small groups of 12-15 students and one mentor who meet together four days a week for friendship, accountability, learning, individual attention, and fun. Students get to know their classmates and mentors on a personal basis during pod meetings.

Integrated Courses

Courses are multiple subjects integrated and combined seamlessly into one harmonious learning experience. The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and Humanities courses have an expedition at their core, and the Leadership course supports the expeditionary learning process.

Expeditions

Expeditions are big, inspiring projects that include smaller projects, encompass large topics, and unify and focus learning.

Think your middle schoolers are ready for an amazing education? Take our Right Fit Quiz!